U.S. Pat. No. 1,471,094 discloses a crane hook. There is no latching method shown that incorporates anti-rotation or a soft docking or latching option.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,011 discloses a grapple fixture for use with an end effector having grappling capabilities and latching capabilities and which may include a force moment sensor which can cooperate with the arm in order to align the end effector with the grapple fixture without the aid of a grappling mechanism. This grapple fixture requires a large footprint or square area on the space station or satellite and provides no alignment for the bending reaction during insertion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,654 discloses an end effector secured to the front end of a manipulator. The force (or torque) applied to the end effector at the time of clamping the dedicated object is detected so that a driving portion of the end effector is feedback-controlled in order to protect the end effector from an applied force (or torque) exceeding a predetermined level. The microconical fitting and the grasping tool of the present invention overcome one of the problems not addressed in systems heretofore proposed for space which is soft dock, alignment and hard dock in a single weight efficient mechanism. Alignment in space is more difficult than on earth which, because of gravity, provides numerous and consistent load reaction options. The astronaut does not have the same stabilizing capabilities of spatial relationships and especially for alignment in space as are found on earth. The grasping tool and fitting of the present invention do not require exact alignment but allow soft docking or soft capture to occur without perfect initial alignment. During locking or complete securing, alignment is completed and the grasping tool is locked against the microconical fitting.